It is incredibly painful to recognize that it has been two years since Hamas militants killed more than 1200 people. Dozens of Israeli hostages have died, and 20 living souls are still held in captivity.
Over the same two years, over 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, nearly two thirds of them women and children. Hundreds of thousands more are facing the reality of life-long injuries, devastating hunger and deteriorating health, while nearly all have been displaced repeatedly.
Two years of stories from Palestinians like Samah Wadi, a nutritional expert working at CARE partner Juzoor’s primary healthcare center in Deir Al-Balah, who said “We are all being starved, we are losing the energy needed to carry on with daily chores. Hunger is all we can think about. Malnutrition not only impacts your body, but your mind and your soul.”
Yet throughout these two years, Samah and CARE’s team in the West Bank and Gaza, through hunger, displacement and fear, have and continue to respond with care, compassion, humanity, and hope. They have reached nearly a million Gazans with water and hygiene supplies, maternal and primary health care, food, and shelter kits.
It is time to end this conflict and man-made humanitarian disaster. It is time for a ceasefire, the unhindered entry of aid, and the release of all hostages. It is time to restore peace and to begin the work of repair, healing and building a just shared future.